Pressure and field dependence of the magnetic transition in GdBa2Cu3O7-x

The influence of hydrostatic pressure and of magnetic field strenght is presented for the low temperature antiferromagnetic ordering temperature (T_N=2.3 K) of GdBa₂Cu₃O_7-x. Data are presented for both superconducting and normal samples, the superconducting sample having a sharp 95 K transition and the oxygen-depleted normal sample being a semiconductor. For both systems the Néel temperatures, extrapolated to zero measuring field, are identical: T_N = (2.33±0.03) K. The effect of pressure is to raise the transition temperature slightly for both samples, dT_N/dP=+0.03 K/kbar for the superconducting sample and +0.04 K/kbar for the normal sample. The temperature dependence of the heat capacity made in several fixed external magnetic fields and the isothermal magnetization for T<T_N provide a measure of the antiferromagnetic-paramagnetic phase boundary, which shows T_N approaching T=0 K at about 2.5 T.     

Incommensurate magnetic ordering in Cu2Te2O5X2 (X = Cl,Br) studied by neutron diffraction

We present the results of the first neutron powder and single crystal diffraction studies of the coupled spin tetrahedra systems Cu2Te2O5X2 (X = Cl,Br). Incommensurate antiferromagnetic order with the propagation vectors kCl approximately [0.150,0.422,1/2], kBr approximately [0.158,0.354,1/2] sets in below TN = 18 K for X = Cl and 11 K for X = Br. No simple collinear antiferromagnetic or ferromagnetic spin arrangements within Cu2+ tetrahedra fit these observations. Fitting the diffraction data to more complex but physically reasonable models with multiple helices leads to a moment of 0.67(1)microB/Cu2+ at 1.5 K for the Cl compound. The reason for such a complex ground state may be geometrical frustration of the spins due to the intratetrahedral and intertetrahedral couplings having similar strengths. In neither compound has any evidence for a structural transition accompanying the magnetic ordering been found.     

Anomalous thermal conductivity of single crystal Cu2Te2O5Cl2

A strong increase of the thermal conductivity is observed at the phase transition (T _c=18.2 K) in Cu₂Te₂O₅Cl₂ single crystal. This behavior is compared with that of the spin-Peierls system NaV₂O₅, where a similar experimental observation has been made, and the conventional spin-Peierls system CuGeO₃, where a modest kink in the thermal conductivity curve has been observed. The strong increase of the thermal conductivity atT _c in Cu₂Te₂O₅Cl₂ could be partially attributed to the opening of the energy gap in the magnetic excitation spectrum evident from the magnetic susceptibility measurements. However, the main reason for the anomaly of the thermal conductivity could be explained by a strong spin-lattice coupling in this system, which what is in agreement with the preliminary X-band electron spin resonance measurement.     

Temperature dependence of the magnetic penetration depth in YBa2Cu3O6.95

We report precision transverse fieldSR measurements of the internal field distribution in the vortex state of crystalline YBa₂Cu₃O_6.95. A novel low background apparatus was used to study a mosaic sample of three high quality single crystals (T_c=93.3K). The observed frequency spectra in magnetic fields of 5kG and 15 kG applied along the c-axis have the characteristic features expected for a regular vortex lattice with some additional broadening. From a preliminary analysis we find that [(0)/(T)]² has a linear temperature coefficient forT<30 K. Such a term is inconsistent with simple s-wave pairing in the superconducting state. These results support recent microwave measurements of(T) on similar crystals in zero applied field but differ significantly from previousSR reports on sintered powders and crystals with lower T_c.This research was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.     

Magnetic field dependence of critical current density in YBa2Cu3O7

We have measured the transport critical current densityJ _cof sintered YBa₂Cu₃O₇, in various applied fields up to 185 Oe at 77 K. We find a sharp decay ofJ _cwith magnetic field. We show that this sharp decay is consistent with the low field hysteresis results of Groveret al. We argue that the observed field dependence is not caused by intragranular weak links.     

Anisotropic exchange interactions in CuTe2O5

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) was used to study CuTe₂O₅ single crystals at frequencies of 9.4 and 160 GHz. Analytic expressions for the second and fourth moments of the EPR line are deduced with inclusion of the difference between the exchange couplings of the copper spin with its different neighbors. From comparing the calculated and measured EPR linewidths, the positions of copper ions with the strongest exchange interactions are identified. The parameters of the anisotropic exchange interaction between copper ions in a pair are found. The parameter of the exchange interaction between magnetically nonequivalent copper centers is determined from the frequency dependence of the EPR linewidth. The directions of the principal axes of the g tensors are established. The data obtained count in favor of a quasi-one-dimensional model of magnetism in CuTe₂O₅.     

The velocity dependence of the transient magnetic field of O in Fe

The transient field precession has been measured for¹⁶O ions in the 3 ₁ ^– excited state recoiling into magnetized iron foils with an initial velocity of 8.0v ₀ (v ₀=c/137). The recoil velocity after passage through the Fe foils has been varied by adjusting the foil thickness. The resulting field strengths show strong deviations from the empirical linear velocity dependence of the transient field. The velocity dependence can be described well on the basis of recently measured probabilities for K-shell vacancy production for O in Fe, with a velocity independent degree of polarization =0.14 for the unpaired electrons in the K-shell.     

Temperature dependence of the critical magnetic field of the structural transition in MBBA-based ferronematics

We studied the structural transitions in ferronematics based on the thermotropic nematic liquid crystal MBBA (4^′ -methoxybenzylidene-4-n-butylaniline) having a nematic-to-isotropic transition temperature T _N–I?=?48.0^○C and in MBBA-based ferronematics doped with a magnetic suspension consisting of Fe₃O₄ particles (10?nm in diameter) coated with oleic acid as a surfactant. The ferronematic samples were prepared with different volume concentrations of magnetic particles φ?=,1× 10^?4, 2× 10^?4 and 5×10^?4. The temperature dependences of the critical magnetic fields in a bias electric field under strong applied magnetic fields are presented. We calculated the surface density of anchoring energy W at the nematic–magnetic particle boundary. Scaling of the structural transition in the MBBA and MBBA-based ferronematics with the temperature of the nematic-to-isotropic transition was observed.     

Increase of the paramagnetic-to-antiferromagnetic transition temperature of Cr2O3 by a magnetic field

The ordering temperature of antiferromagnetic Cr₂O₃ increases with magnetic field H, for H perpendicular to the easy axus c. This result disagree with mean-field theory, but is consistent with recent predictions. Results for H∥c (including the region near the bicritical point) are also presented.     

Anomalous dependence of the critical current of 45° grain boundaries in YBa2Cu3O7−x on an applied magnetic field

Grain boundaries grown by the biepitaxial technique do not show Fraunhofer-type critical current I _c vs. magnetic field H _a dependences, which are a hallmark of standard Josephson junctions. To clarify the reason for this unusual behavior, we have fabricated asymmetric 45° grain boundaries using the bicrystal technique and analyzed their I _c (H _a) characteristics. These characteristics crisply show a number of remarkable features, which suggest that due to the particular orientation of these junctions, their I _c (H _a) dependence is intrinsically non-Fraunhofer. Conventional models, relying on standard tunneling and a superconducting order parameter with s-wave symmetry, do not account for the I _c (H _a) characteristics observed.